Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Game
by TeamFreeWillAngel
Summary: Sam and Dean head to Arizona to help out Bobby when something stops them. *WINCEST WARNING*
1. Night Strike

**Chapter 1-Night Strike**

Arizona lived up to everything that Dean had ever learned about it in school; dry, hot, humid, and did I mention hot? The Impala's AC was working on overdrive trying to keep him and Sam cool until they reached Phoenix. They had been called by a friend, a retired hunter named Gabby, who said that Bobby owed her a favor for saving his ass back in Wichita. Bobby, never being one to refuse a friend in need, headed out to Arizona but called in reinforcements in the Winchester's when the spirit that was infecting Gabby's house became spirits and he couldn't handle them all at once. So now Sam and Dean had left the comfort of wet and cold Seattle for the hot and dry state of Arizona.

Sam was in a white t-shirt, trying to get some sleep despite the blistering conditions. Dean had slowly went from layers to an AC/DC "Highway to Hell" shirt. He kept changing the tapes in the cassette player. He had stocked up on his favorites at a used music store in Seattle and it was driving Sam crazy. Aerosmith he could handle, Poison was okay, but he started to go crazy around the time that Dean put in Guns n' Roses "Appetite for Destruction, and he officially lost it when the opening for Van Halen's "1984" began to play. Saying that Sam didn't like classic rock was an understatement. Good music to him was Three Days Grace, Linken Park, and Brittany Spears. They would've kept him awake so he wouldn't have a heat stroke.

"Turn it down." Sam moaned as he stared out the window at all the sand.

"Umm...no." Dean said.

"Why the fuck not?" Sam asked, turning to look at his brother.

"Cuz I said so." Dean snapped. The interior of the Impala remained silent. Dean kept up his tapping on the steering wheel. It was about five minutes later when Sam finally spoke again.

"Do you think that maybe once we could listen to some of my music?"

"They don't make that girly, emo crap on cassette." Dean said. "Plus, you wouldn't want to damage my baby with that shit that you call music, know would you?" Dean ran a hand over the dusty dash board. Sam rolled his eyes.

"You care more about this damn car than you do me." Sam said. That hit Dean where it hurt.

"What?" Dean asked. Sam looked at him and was about to repeat what he had just said when a dark shadow over the dark night caught his attention. He looked back out the window, but saw nothing. "What Sam? You think I care more about the car than you?" Sam ignored him and looked out the windshield. That's when the Impala's headlights locked on a figure dressed in black.

"STOP!!" Sam yelled. Dean looked out in front of him and hit the brake with as much force as he could. The Impala fishtailed, throwing Sam against the door. Dean set there, his breath coming in big puffs. He scanned the landscape in front of him. He didn't remember seeing anything, but Sam's frightened screams must have meant there was something in front of them. Sam held his right side, where he had smashed into the door. He looked over at Dean, who was still looking for something that he couldn't see. "It's...it's not there."

"Was there even anything there?!" Dean yelled. "Fuck Sam, I could've wrecked the car. I could've lost you...I mean, we could've been killed!" Sam set there in silence. Dean threw open his door and walked around to the trunk. He opened it and removed a shotgun and a flashlight. Sam followed him.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"You said you saw something." Dean said. "I'm a hunter, it's my instinct." That, and he wanted to see if it was the Yellow Eyed Bastard, here to take everything else in his life that meant anything to him.

Sam and Dean silently began to walk the dust covered pavement of the Arizona desert. There wasn't as much as a coyote howl or an owl hoot. That began to unnerve Dean to no end. There was something wrong tonight, something wrong indeed, and both the brothers felt it. Dean shifted the shotgun from one hand to the other as he glanced over at Sam, who held out the flashlight in front of him. Sam was a good actor and could hide his 'I'm scared' face, but Dean knew it was there. That's when they heard a noise. Behind them, like a twig snapping in half. Dean spun around to catch a glimpse. That's when he heard Sam make a grunt. He turned to see Sam on the ground, and then he met face-first with the butt of a gun.


	2. The Barn

**Chapter 2-The Barn**

His mind was hazy as his world began to blur back in. All he could see in his minds eye was Sam on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking them a few times to remove the thin film that came with getting a head butt. Dean looked around. It looked like he was in a barn. It smelled of fresh pine and oak. But he didn't remember driving past any house, let alone any farm houses. Maybe it was farther up. He attempted to move in order to get a better look at his surroundings, when he noticed his arms wouldn't respond. He looked at his right arm to see it tied to a wooden post, the same with his left arm, and his feet. His feet were on solid ground, but that didn't mean anything if he couldn't get his arms free. He was struggling to get free when he looked down at his feet to see Sam lying there, unconscious. Dean's heart pounded as he checked to see if he could see the up and down moving of Sam's chest. It was there. Dean let out a breath of relief.

"Hey Sammy." Dean said. Sam stirred slightly, but there wasn't much to it. "Sam." Dean said a little louder. Sam opened his eyes and locked with Dean's. There was a slight blood stain right at the start of his hair line. Dean knew that meant he probably had a concession. "Hey there Sammy. Mind helping me out here?" Dean asked. Sam looked at Dean's hands. He pushed himself to his feet, wobbled for a minute, then moved to untie him. He was stopped by the sound of a gun loading.

"That wouldn't be very wise Sam." Someone said. Sam spun around to see an older man standing there. On each side of him were two fairly large men, one more behind him. "I mean, go ahead and try if you want Dean to die."

"Who the fuck are you?" Dean asked as Sam moved to stand in front his brother. The old man smiled.

"My name is Bill Bowen." He said with a smirk. "This is Adrian, Joe, and Jacob. Picked them up right in front of their old high school."

"Does it look like I care?" Dean asked.

"Watch your tone with me boy!" Bill snapped as he moved closer to Sam and Dean. Dean watched as Sam blocked him from Bill's view. "Ah, I see Sammy here wants to play Superman."

"How do you know our names?" Sam asked, completely ignoring the Sammy comment. Bill smiled and returned to the safety of his henchmen.

"I'm a bounty hunter." Bill said.

"Like Boba Fett (1) ?" Dean asked. Bill glared at him.

"I'm beginning to think we tied the wrong brother up boys." Bill said. "_Anyway,_ I was hired by some demons to hunt down the two of you and kill you. They don't really care how it's done, as long as it's done. So, now begins big game boys."

"What game?" Sam asked. That's when Bill smiled and nodded at Adrian, who hit Sam in the stomach. Sam bent over, clutching his stomach as he tried to regain his breath.

"The game is that Dean Winchester can stay alive for as long as Sam Winchester can get back up. When Sam falls for the last time, you're screwed, because no one knows where you are." Bill said with an evil laugh.

"You sick son of a bitch! If you hurt my brother, I'll fuckin' kill you!" Dean yelled. Bill looked up at him.

"And who's in the position to be making threats smart ass?" Bill asked. Dean's eyes narrowed as he watch the old man go to the doors. "Keep it up until Sam can't stand anymore. If I hear ONE gunshot, I'll send you back to Hamilton Heights so fast that you won't know what hit you until you're sitting in biology class again, got it?"

"Yes boss." Adrian, Joe, and Jacob answered at once. Sam stared at Bill as he departed the building. Joe cracked his fingers. Dean swore that for just a minute he could see Sam slightly shiver, but that was chased away as he watched his brother stand in his defensive stance.

"Sam, don't do this." Dean said, but Sam ignored him as he ducked at Jacob's first punch, but ran his jaw right into Joe's. He held his mouth for a minute, then right back to work. Dean watched with horror as Sam fought the Three Stooges. He was doing good, until Adrian grabbed him from behind and held his arms while Joe punched his stomach and ribs. Adrian dropped Sam to the ground, but he got back up. The only though on his mind was keeping Dean alive.

The fight wore on and Sam was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Blood was already on his lips, making them look like they had crimson lipstick on them. Sam was favoring his left side, since it had been the hardest. His face was bruised and his eye was swollen shut. He wasn't going to last much longer, and everyone in that barn knew it. It was just a matter of time.

Adrian and Joe had been the easiest on Sam, Jacob had been the only one really hitting him. But Joe picked up a fresh block of wood off the dusty floor. Dean watched, helpless, as Sam's face, chest, and back were bashed in by the man, Dwayne Johnson (2) style. Sam fell onto his back on the floor. Dean was sure he was finished, until Sam turned over onto his stomach and climbed to his hands and knees. Dean watched as red drops came from his nose and mouth. He scanned his brother as he shakily tried to climb to his feet.

"Sammy, stay down, please!" Dean begged, but Sam was a Winchester and Winchester's were hard-headed. He pushed himself to his feet, much to the surprise of the Louisville Slugger and friends.

"Want more Winchester?" Joe snapped as he held the blood stained block of wood.

"Bring it." Sam said tauntingly. Jacob smiled at his friends.

"I think we've been too easy on the little punk." Jacob said, even though he could be no older than seventeen. "What you think Adrian?"

"I say let's open up a can of whoop ass on this little shit head." Adrian said. Jacob smiled and pulled a chain out of his trench coat, which wasn't the most practical thing for Painted Desert, Arizona. Adrian pulled out a set of brass knuckles while Joe set the block of wood to Barry Bonds mode. Quicker than Sam could move, Jacob wrapped the chain around his neck, constricting the airflow. Joe and Adrian took turns, hitting him in the stomach with their weapons of mass destruction. Finally, after Dean's constant screaming and cussing, Jacob released the chain and let Sam fell to the ground at Dean's feet. His eyes were closed and he finally stayed down.

"Finally." Joe hissed. "I thought we were gonna have to order out."

"He was a totally UFC or something." Adrian said. They looked at Dean, who remained suspended on his perch.

"Bye-bye Winchester." Jacob laughed. The three of them departed, leaving Sam on the floor in a pool of his own blood.


	3. Our Own Personal Calvary

**Chapter 3-Our Personal Calvary**

Unknowist to the evil "genius", Dean had hidden a knife in the sleeve of his jacket, since the last time the shape shifter tied them up in it's dungeon. He'd been sawing at his ropes ever since the fight began, but he could only get one set unnoticed. Now he easily had the other restraints cut and fell onto the floor by Sam. His wrists were bleeding from the rope burn and his head felt strange as attempted to stand. He opened the doors to the barn and looked out over the landscape. There was no sign of Bill or the others, but he could see the sun slowly rising. The Impala was nowhere to be seen...then that's when he remembered Sam. He ran back to his brother. Sam looked like he ten rounds with both Rocky Balboa and Mike Tyson and lost. His face was swollen and bruised, his lips and nose red from the blood, and there were other places that made Dean want to hunt down those sons of bitches and bash their faces in with blocks of wood.

He fell to his knees and pulled Sam close to him. His head rested on his lap, where Dean gently brushed away pieces of blood stained hair. He felt tears in his eyes as he stared down at Sam. He had let Sam down. He was supposed to protect him, not the other way around. Now Sam was here, dying before Dean's very eyes.

"I do love you Sammy." Dean whispered as he attempted to get Sam to wake up. "I love you so much. Don't leave me Sammy. Please don't leave me. I need you." Dean mumbled. Then he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Sam's forehead.

Dean kept Sam cradled in his arms, fearful that this was where they would both die. He leaned against the post he had just been tied to, awaiting for someone to kill him as he held his dead brother. That's when he heard footsteps outside the open door of the bar. He was afraid that Bill had sent his friends to finish what they started, until he heard a familiar face.

"SAM!" He knew that gravely voice. He was like a welcoming wake-up to a horrible nightmare. "DEAN!"

"Bobby!" Dean yelled. "Sammy, Bobby's here." Sam didn't respond like Dean hoped, but he was grateful when Bobby and Gabby came walking through the barn doors.

"Dean Winchester." Gabby said, her slight southern accent coming through. "What the hells bells happened here?"

"A bounty hunter." Dean said as Bobby knelt by him and Sam. He felt Sam's bruised neck and found a weak pulse.

"We need to get him to a hospital, now." Bobby barked. He gently lifted Sam away from Dean, who quickly jumped up and helped Bobby. That's when Gabby saw Dean's wrists.

"Are you one of 'em creepy emotionals?" She asked.

"No Gabby." Dean said. "Rope burn."

"Come on!" Bobby barked. "We don't have time to be standing here making small talk."

Bobby and Dean carried Sam to the vehicles that set outside. There was a beat up Ford truck that Dean didn't recognize, and there set his baby. Bobby led Dean to the Impala, where they gently placed Sam in the backseat. Dean got in the passenger side, giving Bobby permission to drive. He set on his knees, staring at Sam.

"Sit down." Bobby demanded as he started up the car. "I don't want to be pulled over because you're not sitting right."

"But there's no cops." Dean whined.

"Trust me, there are." Bobby said. Dean looked at Sam one final time before turning around, but he kept the rearview mirror trained on him. Bobby drove as fast as he could until he reached the closest town. When they arrived at the hospital, Dean had Sam out of the car and was carrying him in like when they were teenagers and Sam was attacked by that werewolf. Gabby and Bobby, who ran in behind them, were surprised that Dean had such strength.

"Help!" Dean yelled. "Somebody help me please!" Dean yelled. A woman in a Hello Kitty scrub-top came up to him.

"I need a gurney!" She yelled. Another woman appeared with a gurney, which Dean laid Sam on. Hello Kitty started Sam on oxygen while running down the hallway. Dean was close behind as a doctor came up.

"What happened?" He called over his shoulder to Dean.

"Someone broke in and attacked him." Dean said, thinking of the first lie that came to mind.

"What's his name?" Hello Kitty asked.

"Sam Harrison." Dean said, thinking of the first name he could think of.

"Sam, can you hear me?" The doctor asked, but he got no response. They pushed Sam's gurney through a pair of doors, but Hello Kitty stopped Dean from entering. She turned and went through the doors, leaving Dean standing alone. He stared at the door for a moment before turning on his heel and storming out past Bobby and Gabby.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled, noticing that Dean's wrists needed taken care of. "Where are you going?" But Dean ignored him and quickly left, not wanting to be in the hospital when there was nothing he could do. He got behind the wheel of the Impala, seeing that Bobby had left the keys in the ignition. He pulled out of the parking lot and was halfway across town before anyone knew better.


	4. The Call That Changed His Life

**Chapter 4-The Call That Changed His Life**

Dean was driving around town, his thoughts bouncing back and forth in his head like a ping-pong match between Forrest and the Chinese. There were so many things going through him mind when he pulled into the small park and parked in the gravel parking lot. He rested his head against the back of the seat, tears stinging his eyes. He didn't realize that he had actually got sand in his eyes during the fight. He wiped at his eyes as he set there. The music on the radio was playing, but he didn't want to listen to it anymore. Music was the whole reason they were in this mess it seemed. Sam was dying and this was the last conversation they had. 'Bout music and why Dean wouldn't ever listen to any of his favorites. How Dean loved the Impala more than Sam...

That wasn't true. He always had loved the car, always would, but it would always be on the back burner compared to his best friend. Deep down, inside his heart, he had always had this special spot for his brother, a place that only a few people had ever gained access to. Cassie was one of them. He held Sam so special in a way that most people held for boyfriends and girlfriends. Sam was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He would've felt the same way if John had never brought them into this life, if Mary hadn't died, if Yellow Eyes hadn't ever reared his ugly ass. All Dean lived for was Sam. All he wanted to do was love him, but how would Sam feel? Society had already classified them as freaks, so what would anyone care if Dean said that he wanted to fuck his brother?

But Sam wasn't like that, was he?

Dean was pulled from his thoughts by his phone playing The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop". That was the tone he had set for Bobby. He shakily opened his phone and pressed it to his ear. He cleared his throat so it wasn't so easy to tell that he had been crying.

"Yea?"

"Dean, it's Gabby." Gabby said. Dean's muscles tightened. Something bad must have happened if Bobby wasn't calling.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Bobby was taken by Doctor Swift to fill out some paperwork on Sam. They had to take him into surgery ASAP, since he has tons of internal bleeding and junk. They said that most of the damage is on the inside, mainly bruising on the outside. They also amazed that he had no broken limbs, only a fractured skull." Gabby said as Dean continued to sit there.

"I always made him drink his milk." Dean said, trying to crack a joke even though he couldn't quiet get the right one to come out.

"But we think you needs to get here right 'way." Gabby said.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Them docs aren't sure if Sam's gonna make it through the surgery." She said. Dean's world came crashing down around him.

"I'll be there." Dean said before cutting the connection. He quickly turned the Impala around and headed back to where he had came from.


	5. Dean's Cure for the Blues

**Chapter 5-Dean's Cure for the Blues**

Gabby and Bobby were the only people in the surgical waiting room. Since Bobby was Sam's only next to kin at the time, he was forced to fill out all the boring information and insurance crap. Luckily, he had Sam's wallet, which said Sam Harrison, and he knew him like the back of his hand. So that was one last thing that Dean had to deal with. But that didn't make him feel any better as he walked into the room housing the two older hunters.

"Has he come out yet?" Dean asked.

"No." Bobby said. "They've been in there for awhile. No one's come out and more nurses keep heading that way."

"Damn it." Dean whispered as he set on the ground. He didn't even bother with a chair. Bobby looked at Dean. He didn't deserve this. John had just died a few months before. This wasn't going to end good and Bobby knew it.

Dean set there in the silence of his own thoughts. Instead of driving out into that park and sitting there, thinking about his brother, he should have been here. He thought that maybe Sam was using his Drew Barrymore powers and could sense if Dean was there or not. Maybe, just maybe, when he left him, Sam thought that he could give up. But Dean would be damned if he ever let his brother give up like that.

"Sweetie." Dean heard Gabby say. Dean looked up at her.

"What?" He asked.

"You was singin'." She said.

"I was?" Dean asked.

"Yea. You was singin' a Beatles song. Um...Bobby, what's that name?"

"Hey Jude." Bobby said. Dean didn't realize that he'd been singing, let along a Beatles song that he remembered his mom singing to him as a kid. She'd sing that to him and baby Sam instead of the traditional "Rock a-bye Baby" or anything like that. Maybe the song was comforting to him. The world may never know.


	6. Hey Sam

**Chapter 6-Hey Sam**

_Hey Jude_

_Don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better_

_Remember to let her into your heart_

_Then you can start to make it better_

Sam heard the song in his head. Though he was floating in a warm blanket of unconscious, he heard it playing like off of an old radio...like the Impalas.

_Hey Jude_

_Don't be afraid_

_You were made to go out and get her_

_The minute you let her under you skin_

_Then you begin to make it better_

The voice was different than the one he heard on the recording. Which Beatle sang it? Boy, would Dean be made at him when he heard that Sam couldn't remember if John or Paul sang it.

_And anytime you feel the pain_

_Hey Jude, refrain_

_Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_

_For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool_

_By making his world a little colder_

Paul McCartney. That was it. He'd read about the story behind the song in a Beatles book. The Beatles was one of the only bands that Dean and him held in common. But, no one could argue with the gods of rock. But this wasn't Paul McCartney. Who was it?

_Na na na na na na na na na_

It was familiar but she hadn't heard it sing in awhile. But he knew that it was someone he knew. It was probably someone Dean listened to and drilled into his head.

_Hey Jude_

_Don't let me down_

_You have found her, now go and get her_

_Remember to let her into your heart_

_Then you can start to make it better_

Whoever it was had real concern in his voice. Like they wanted Sam to wake up. Sam smiled at the concern. It was always welcoming.

_So let it out and let it in_

_Hey Jude, begin_

_You're waiting for someone to perform with_

_And don't you know that it's just you_

_Hey Jude, you'll do_

_The movement you need is on your shoulder_

Sam felt his eyes close and he just listened to the soft song. It was slower than the Beatles version, like whoever it was was trying to make sure they got every single word into the song. There was only one person he knew that put that much care into songs he sang.

_Na na na na na na na na na_

That person...he knew who it was.

_Hey Jude_

_Don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better_

It was...

_Remember to let her under your skin_

It was...

_Then you'll begin to make it better_

Dean.

And Dean wasn't saying Hey Jude. He was saying Hey Sam. Sam could hear Dean sing it. That's when he knew he needed to go home.


	7. Then You'll Start to Make It Better

**Chapter 7-Then You'll Start to Make it Better**

"Then you'll begin to make it better." Dean whispered to himself. He had caught himself saying Hey Sam. Gabby and Bobby hadn't noticed, or if they did they weren't saying anything. He was glad for this little break from the game face he had to put on around them.

"_Dean." _He heard someone say. It was quiet, almost in the back of his mind, but somehow, just maybe, there was a connection between him and Sam. Maybe he could hear Sammy…and that meant that maybe Sam could hear him. He had to hope…then at the same time he began to dread. What if Sam heard all those things he was thinking back in the Impala? Would he think any different of Dean then?

"Mr. Harrison?" Someone said. Bobby and Gabby stood, blocking Dean's view. He stood and pushed his way between the two. Now he stood in front of them. He was face to face with a man that looked like one of the Ramones, but instead of guitars or drumsticks, he had on a set of green scrubs that were covered in blood. A surgical mask was tied his neck but instead of covering his face, hung there like a necklace. He had a green bandana with the Rain Forest Cafe's mascot on it. His shoes were covered in the blue, scratchy material. Dean always said that hospitals were impersonal; this was just adding fuel to the fire.

"Yea." Bobby said before Dean could. "I'm his uncle. This is his brother." Bobby added as he pointed to Dean. "And this is a close friend of mine." He pointed at Bobby.

"I'm Doctor Steve Perry (3)." The doctor said. "I was the surgeon that operated on Sam. I was just coming to tell you he's out of surgery and in recovery."

"How is he?" Gabby asked.

"I'm afraid that I don't know about Sam's condition to tell you anything. His attending physician, Doctor Megan White (4) will be able to tell you more. She's with him right now."

"Thank ya doctor." Gabby said.

"Just doin' my job." Doctor Perry said as he left. Dean's stomach started to do back flips, waiting for Megan White to show up and tell them what the hell was going on with his brother. He returned to the sitting area of the waiting room. Instead of taking a seat in on the floor in front of the window like he had, or seeking out the most comfortable uncomfortable chair, he paced. Bobby and Gabby walked in and watched him.

"Why don't ya sit down?" Gabby asked. Dean glanced at her and then started walking. "You look like that Wile E. Coyote waitin' on Road Runner to come runnin' over the horizon." Dean ignored the Looney Toons reference. He just kept pacing.


	8. Breaking Free

**Chapter 8-Breaking Free**

"Hey Jude" had stopped. Dean's voice was gone. Sam couldn't hear anything anymore. But the more he tried to reach out, the sicker he got at his stomach. He couldn't take this limbo crap anymore. Being trapped inside this world was going to drive him mad. This tranquility shit was only going to last for so long, then he was going to be begging to go back to the messed up world him and Dean lived in.

"Come on. Focus." Sam growled. The world around him was fighting to keep him in while he was fighting to get out.

Using his psychic powers, Sam pushed back, fighting the walls that trapped him. It was his own brain, but it didn't want him to escape. It was almost like the demon had set up a cage for him and wasn't going to let him out for anything. There were so many things that he was set on doing that he almost burned himself trying to get out.

That's when the threads that held the walls of Limbo together began to fray.


	9. Meet Megan White

**Chapter 9-Meet Megan White**

Dean was still pacing when a dark red colored haired woman appeared in the entrance of the waiting room. She had deep red lips, blue eyes, a low cut black shirt with a matching mini skirt, tan hose, black heels, and a white lab coat. Her name tag said Megan White, M.D., Emergency Room Director. She had a smile that would warm even the most scared person's heart, though she was the barer of bad news.

"Are you the Harrison's?" She asked softly, her deep red lips seeming as if they barely moved.

"Yea." Dean said, returning to the spot he had been at when Steve Perry had talked to them.

"I'm Doctor Megan White." She said. "I'm your brothers physician. Would you like to take a seat?" Megan motioned with her right hand that had just as deep red as her lips, to a seat like Vanna White would a letter on the board. Dean set down in the seat directly in front of her, Gabby and Bobby on either side. She was beginning to look like a speaker you would've had in school.

"What wrong with my brother doc?" Dean asked. Megan sighed.

"Well, your bother's gall bladder and appendix. We were afraid that we were going to have to remove one of his kidneys, but it got back into working order, so we'll monitor it closely. His spleen also suffered some damage, but we may only have to remove it if his condition worsens. There was some bruising on some of his muscles, mainly around the chest and neck area. Parts of his skull had been fractured, as well as some ribs and he has a stress fracture on his arm. There was some bruising on his brain, but we managed to fix that, along with some other bleeding. We have him stable as of right now and he's resting in the I.C.U. There have been a few weird things here and there with him though, but it's common in coma patients."

"What kind of weird things?" Bobby asked. Megan smiled and lightly laughed.

"It's weird, but it sounded like he was humming a song and he kept saying words, like Dean." Megan said. "It's common in both coma and trauma patients to say the name of their attacker or someone close to them. In this case, it's like he's calling out to his brother for help."

"Can we sees 'im doc?" Gabby asked. Megan looked like she was pondering something.

"I think that only one person for about fifteen minutes. Visiting hours are almost over and Sam needs to rest." Megan explained. Dean nodded his head.

"You go 'head honey." Gabby said. "Bobby 'n me'll book us some rooms at the motel."

"Thanks Gabby." Dean said. Megan, Bobby, and Gabby departed from the room. Dean followed Megan to the I.C.U ward. She flashed her ID badge and was waved through by a girl in a Family Guy scrub top. Dean looked into the glass rooms as they passed them. There were people attached to tubes with machines keeping them alive. Was that how Sam was?

They arrived at Sam's room. Dean looked inside. His brother's face was still swollen, but not as bad as it had been. There were bandages where he could see and long, thin tubes attached to his arms, providing blood and other essentials. Dean ran a shaky hand over his face.

"If you need me, this is my pager number and this is my office number." She handed Dean a card that had her information on it. She turned to leave, but something popped into Dean's head.

"Doctor White?" Dean said. Megan stopped and turned back to him with a smile still on her face.

"Please call me Megan." She said.

"Megan, when you said that it sounded like Sam was humming, do you know what he was humming?"

"It was this really popular song from when my mom was a kid. Um...I know that it's the Beatles..."

"Was it Hey Jude?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. That's it. You must be good with your music." Megan said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more patients to check on before I go on call." Megan left Dean standing outside the room. He stood there, just staring at his brother, before he shakily walked into the room.


	10. In My Brother's Time of Dying

**Chapter 10-In My Brother's Time of Dying**

Sam opened his eyes. The first and only thing he saw was his reflection in a bathroom mirror. The thing that bothered him was that he looked at tired, beaten, and worn down as his dad did when he died. Did that mean he was dead? He hoped not. He just wanted to be with Dean, like what he heard clips of when he was in Limbo.

Sam walked out of a hospital bathroom into a room. There, displayed in front of him like something from a Stephen King movie was his own body. Sam was frozen in place as he stared at himself. That's when he heard a noise. Dean walked in then.

"Dean." Sam said as he went to his brother. Dean didn't respond. "Dean!" He yelled. He still didn't listen/

"Sammy." Dean said as he stood there. Sam stood on the other side of his body, trying to get his attention. "I begged you to stay down. It's all my fault."

"No Dean."

"I...you shouldn't have done that for me Sam."

"I had to. They'd kill you!"

"I need you Sam." Dean said as he leaned over and gently kissed Sam's forehead, much like he had done when they were stranded in the barn. "Please come back to me."

"Mr. Harrison." Someone said. Dean looked to the doorway to see the Family Guy lady standing there. "Visiting hours are over. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Please." Dean begged, his eyes were red from crying. The tears that he thought were hidden from everyone were visible as he stood here by his brother. "I have to be here when he wakes up. I have to be."

"According to Megan," The lady said. "He's in no position to be waking up anytime soon. You can come back tomorrow though." She added a sympathy smile. Dean looked at his brothers body one more time, then turned and left the room.

"Dean! Wait!" Sam yelled. But Dean walked out the door. The nurse shut off the light in Sam's room, but there were still some from the machines, and closed the door. Sam stood there in the darkness of the room, listening to his own heartbeat. This couldn't be good.


	11. Dr Bobby Phil

**Chapter 11-Dr. Bobby Phil**

Dean found the motel that Bobby and Gabby had talked about. They had booked two rooms. Bobby and Dean would share one, Gabby got her own. When Dean got into the room, he found Bobby asleep in the bed closest to the door, the one that Dean always took to protect Sam in case something attacked them and tried to come in through the front door. Dean set down with a sigh on the second bed. He didn't realize how loud he was at that, because the next thing he knew, Bobby was sitting up in the bed next to him.

"How was he?" Bobby asked sleepily. Dean looked over and almost started laughing. This was one of those rare times that he saw Bobby without his trucker hat.

"He looked like..." Dean stopped himself before he could say anything.

"Crap? Hell? Dean, I need some more parts of speech here." Bobby said.

"He looked like Dad."

"What?" Bobby asked. "You mean he looked like John?"

"Yea. He looked like he did right before he died." Dean said. "Tired, worn, hurt. Just like he wanted this damn thing to be over already. For this god damn demon to go fuck itself and leave us alone."

"We all want that Dean." Bobby said.

"Not as much as us Winchesters do." Dean mumbled. "When we were in the barn, that Bill dude said that he was hired by some demons to kill Sam and me. What if the demon sent him?"

"You said that when he possessed John, he told Sam that he had plans for him and all the children like him." Bobby said.

"Well, yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

"His plans wouldn't be very good if he purposely had you killed." Bobby said. Dean set there for a minute, considering what Bobby had said. He did have a point. Dean rubbed at his sore wrists, which Bobby noticed. "You really should let someone look at 'em."

"I'm good." Dean said, realizing for the first time that he had a killer of a headache.

"Don't play this Superhero crap with me Dean." Bobby said. "I know damn well you want to act like nothing's hurtin' you because you want to be strong for Sam. Well, I got news for you Dean. Sam's not here. I'm here and Gabby's next door. We may be old, but between the two of us, we can kick your ass so bad you'll be wishing that you would've gotten medical attention." Dean looked a little shocked that Bobby would talk to him like that. Rarely did he.

"I need a shower." Dean said, hoping that his idea for a quick exit would help him.

"This isn't over." Bobby said. "We'll have to talk again."

"Yeah, well I think better when I'm clean." He waited for Sam's smart ass reply, but when one didn't come, he realized how real this really was. He went into the bathroom and shut and locked the door behind him. He stared in the mirror at himself. There was a thin layer of Arizona dust clinging to him. He realized then that his face resembled what Sam's had looked like when he was dealing with two family members in the line of fire. He looked like he did when he was talking to Dean, he looked like he did when he found John...he looked like he did when John departed them. Dean punched the wall between the mirror, busting his knuckle. Then he set on the floor in the bathroom, his back rested against the cabinet of the vanity. He stayed there all night.


	12. Don't Make It Bad

**Chapter 12-Don't Make It Bad**

"Hello?!" Sam yelled as he walked around his empty room. He couldn't look at himself, but he was the only person in the room. Occasionally, the door would open, as if a ghost opened it, and a nurse would materialize and walk into his room, do what needed to be done, and would disappear. It was almost as if he could only see people that were in his room. That's when he decided to put his theory to the test.

When a nurse came in, Sam walked through the open door. To his surprise, the hallways weren't empty, it just wasn't anyone who should be in the hospital hallways. People with wounds, of course, they weren't bleeding, walked around freely. Older people who had been in the I.C.U for years had turned young again and were looking for a way out. When they saw Sam, their eyes grew sad, like they knew what he was going through.

"Hey." Sam said to a young girl who was sitting in the hallway, her head resting against her knees. "Are you okay?"

"I just want it to be over." She said. Sam looked into the room behind her. An old woman with all kinds of tubes lay there.

"Is that you?"

"I didn't think anything would happen. It was just cliff diving. Everyone was doing it. I just aimed wrong. Now I want it over." That's when Sam realized that everyone who was talking was talking about it being over. "Finally." The girl said. Sam looked back at her to see her walking back into the room. A young woman in a black dress was standing on one side, the girl on the other.

"Take my hand." The woman said. "It will all be over now."

"Thank you." The young woman said, her eyes full of hope.

The new woman raised her hands over the body of the old woman. Sam stood there as lights began to come from the body of the woman in the bed. Then he heard it. The monotone buzzer that signaled death. As the buzzer continued, the woman he had talked to disappeared into a brilliant display of lights. The new woman disappeared as well.

"Spying?" Someone asked. Sam jumped around to see her behind him. "It's only spirits here and you're not exactly Mr. Invisible, are you Sam?"

"How..."

"My name's Tessa." She said. Sam started to back up, away from her. "Relax. I'm not here for you yet."

"Are you a demon?" Sam asked.

"No. I'm not one of them selfish barbarians. I'm a reaper."

"Yeah right. And next you're going to tell me to 'Don't Fear the Reaper'." Sam said. He turned to leave her.

"I know you've met one of my kind before." Tessa said. When Sam kept walking away, she reverted to plan B. "At lease Dean wasn't this skeptic." That got Sam to look at her.

"You know Dean?" Sam asked. Tessa nodded her head. "How?"

"Remember a few months back, when your family was in the hospital…" Visions of what had happened popped into Sam's head. Talking to comatose Dean, yelling at his dad for wanting to summon Yellow Eyes to the hospital…finding his dad on the ground after Dean woke up. "I was there. I was with Dean. He was living on borrowed time and I was there to collect his debt." That made Sam's heart beat faster.

"I don't believe it." Sam said.

"Maybe this will make a believer out of you." Tessa placed her hand over Sam's heart. He closed his eyes as warmth spread throughout his body. Then, there was pain as he fell to his knees. He crawled away from Tessa, towards his own room. There, he pulled himself up so he could look into the window. He watched as the invisible nurses ran into his room. He heard it. The deathly buzzer.

"Please." Sam begged. "I need to get to Dean."

"Then are you ready to believe me?" Tessa asked. Sam nodded his head. With a wave of her hand, the buzzer stopped and the pain inside Sam's chest eased. The nurses returned to their invisible state as they left the room.

"I think I would've felt better if you told me just not to fear you." Sam said.

"Well, you hunters are all hard headed when it comes to meeting my kind." Tessa said. "Especially you Winchester's who think that not even God's mightiest angel can strike you down." Sam lightly smiled.

"You really did meet Dean, didn't you?" Tessa sighed. She began to walk away from Sam. "Hey! Wait!" Sam yelled after her. Tessa stopped to look at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Are you gonna take me like you did that woman?" He asked. Tessa walked back up to him.

"Not yet." She said. "Your clock still has time on it. Her's was up."

"But…" But before Sam could say anything else, Tessa disappeared. Sam set down in front of his room, his head resting against the wall. He had to get to Dean, somehow.

"Hey Jude." Sam whispered. "Don't make it bad." But it was too late for him. It was already pretty bad.


	13. Family Curses

**Chapter 13-Family Curses**

After fighting with Bobby and Gabby the next morning, Dean finally got his wrists bandaged up and his head checked out. It was the only way they were going to let him into Sam's room. His neck was sore from sleeping in the bathroom all night. Bobby gave him hell about that too. He told him that they had put out good money for to have a bed to sleep in, so he better damn well sleep in it. Dean just answered with a simple 'yes, sir', then got into the Impala to go to the hospital.

Page, Arizona. That morning was the first time that Dean had learned what town they were in. Mainly because he could actually see this morning. Yesterday, he had been so freaked about what had happened that he didn't read any signs to find out where they were, so maybe they could call in the Calvary. Well, Jo and Ellen Harvelle could go wake up Ash and they could use that MIT brain of his to track down that Bill dude so Dean could put a bullet in his head.

The hospital didn't seem as bad now. Mainly because he wasn't scared stiff, not that he'd mention that to anyone. He made his way to the I.C.U. unit where Megan had showed him to yesterday. He approached the nurse. Today, instead of the Family Guy girl, this one was wearing a white one with little angels on it. She smiled as Dean approached.

"Who are you here to see?" She asked.

"Sam Harrison." Dean said. It was weird that he wasn't saying Winchester, but it he did, the cops could easily track him.

"Harrison, Harrison." The nurse said as she scanned the files in front of her. "Oh. Doctor White is in with him right now. I'm sure she's almost finished if you want to go in there now." Dean nodded his head and headed back to the room that Megan had taken him to last night. She stood there over Sam, clipboard in hand. Instead of the black she had on yesterday, she had a white shirt and kaki skirt. Her shoes were white this time and she had the same color makeup.

"Oh, Mr. Harrison." Megan said as Dean approached the door.

"I'm Dean." Dean said.

"All right, Dean." Megan said with a smile. Anyone could tell that she was flirting, but Dean was in no mood for her advances.

"How's he doin' today?" Dean asked.

"Good, considering what happened early this morning." Megan said.

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"He had a heart flutter. It means his heart stopped for a brief moment. It started on it's own again, but we're still monitoring him, you know, just in case." Megan said. Dean nodded his head. "Oh, I cleared it with the hospital administrator. He had given you permission to stay with Sam after visiting hours, just as long as you don't start, and these are his words, "some kind of problems"." Megan laughed lightly.

"My brother and me have been known to raise a little hell." Fire that is.

"I'm sure." Megan said. "I have a sister about Sam's age…well, had. I would do anything to protect her. Anything at all."

"What happened to her?" Dean asked. Megan got real quite.

"A few years back, she was out with some friends and got pregnant by this guy. When she had my niece, the man that got her pregnant killed her and took the baby." Megan said softly. "The whole time she was pregnant though, she said that he wasn't a normal human. That he had something strange about him."

"Like what?" Dean asked.

"You'll think I'm crazy." Megan said.

"Trust me, Sammy and me will believe just about anything." Megan locked eyes with him.

"She said that he had yellow eyes." Dean's heart jumped. "She kept saying that it looked like something that should be on Buffy or Angel. I told her that it was just contacts, until I saw him. Then…well, it's all over now anyway. They can't find him."

"I'm so sorry." Dean said.

"It's not your fault." Megan said. "Anyway, I have other patients to take care of. Excuse me." She walked out where Dean had just entered. Dean suddenly felt really bad for saying anything to her.

The room was too quiet, so Dean set down by Sam's bed and just kept looking at him.

"Don't worry Sammy." Dean said. "Everything's going to be all right. I promise."


	14. Not Part of Your World

**Chapter 14-Not Part of Your World**

Sam saw Dean in his room. He was standing in the hallway, looking in, and hadn't even realized that anyone else had gone in there. The last he knew was that the doctor was in there. His face was shadowed, dark places under his eyes from lack of sleep, and his five o' clock shadow was looking more and more familiar with every passing second that Sam gazed at him.

"Dean!" Sam yelled again. The spirits in the hallway looked at Sam, but he ignored them. "Dean! Look at me!"

"He can't hear you." Someone said. Sam looked to see Tessa standing by him. "You powers may allow you to see the spirits that roam the hallway, but it doesn't allow you to cross the veil into their world to talk to him."

"But when Dean was in..."

"You used a Ouija Board. That's a doorway between our world and theirs."

"I'm not part of your world!" Sam yelled.

"And you sure as hell ain't part of his!" Tessa yelled back as she pointed to Dean. Sam looked at Dean, praying that he'd hear their argument, but his mouth was still moving in silent movements. Sam was sure if he was in the room with him that he'd be able to hear him. "I'm sorry Sam. It's a tough day for the both of us."

"How is it tought for you?" Sam asked.

"I see these people everyday, like someone at a normal job, and I can't help them move on because their time isn't up on their clock. I can only offer advice, like I'm going to give you."

"What's that?" Sam asked. Tessa moved closer to him, so she was whispering in his ear.

"Don't stray to far from home."

"What?" Sam asked, but Tessa had disappeared into thin air again. "Damn it." Sam whispered. He decided to go back into his room, if only to hear Dean's voice.

Walking through the walls was something Sam had picked up from Casper. He remembered it when he saw a nurse wearing a scrub top that had the friendly ghost on it. (Sam had loved that movie as a kid, but John and Dean had found it horride. Dean had even told Sam once that the ghost was on his list, after the Snuggle bear but before the person who framed Roger Rabbit, the Phantams from the Batman, The Animated Series movie, and the person who shot J.R. and made them sit through many of Pastor Jim's rants.) Anyway, the movie that had caused so many problem in his childhood was now a welcome with open arms.

Dean had stopped talking when Sam appeared in the room. He just stared at Sam. After taking a closer look at Dean, Sam noticed that his wrists were covered in white bandages. He looked tired too. Like he hadn't slept, which, knowing Dean, he hadn't. If Sam had nontransparent arms, he would slap some sense into his brother.

"Sammy." Dean said. "You need to wake up dude. We...I...we need to talk."

"Talk?" Sam asked. "About what?" Sam moved to the side of the bed so that he was looking at Dean. He knew that Dean had somehow moved a pitchure of water in his dads room at the hospital, but how. If Sam could do something like that so he could tell Dean he was here, then he would be happy.

"That won't work." Someone said. Sam excepted to turn and see Tessa standing there, which he did, but she wasn't alone. There was an older man standing by her. "You are almost a ghost yet, like your brother was."

"Who are you?" Sam asked. The man smiled at him.

"He's Scott." Tessa said. "He's my boss."

"I'm here because somebody can't just take the the soul and move on." Scott said before Sam could say anything. Sam glared at the old man.

"Tessa said I still have time on my clock." Sam said. Scott started to laugh. For a second, Sam thought the reaper came as the Joker.

"And exactly how much time do you think you have?" Scott asked. He looked at Tessa. "Give me your watch."

"What?" Tessa asked, stepping away from Scott. "No. Don't. Please."

"You're being reassigned. You obviously can't handle this place while I'm here. So, you're going to a children's hospital."

"Please don't do that to me." Tessa begged.

"Good-bye Tessa." Scott raised his hand to her forehead. She disappeared with a silenced scream. Scott stood there, staring at Sam. Sam looked over at Dean, then back at Scott. "And now, we wait."


	15. The Office

**Chapter 15-The Office**

It'd been almost two days since Gabby and Bobby had seen Dean. Once he had went to the hospital that day, he hadn't gone back to the motel. He gratefully used the privilage that Megan had earned him. The nurses let him use the showers in the hospital and made sure he went to the cafeteria while they changed shifts. They had also grown accustumed to Dean peering over their shoulders as they attempted to give his brother treatment. That's why they normally did it when he had to go to the bathroom. Sam saw this from the spirit world.

"Dean." Sam said. "You're gonna kill yourself trying to stay with me." There were several mumbles from the wondering spirits, but Sam had learned to ignore them. They were just confused, after waiting in this world forever...and that gave Sam an idea. But he'd have to venture from the I.C.U. ward to Megan's office on the other side of the hospital.

_Don't stray too far from home._

Sam spun around, looking for Tessa, but she wasn't there. He just saw the gunshot victim and the hit and run girl standing there. Sam walked past them. Their eyes followed him.

"You shouldn't do that." The hit and run girl said. Sam ignored her as he headed for Megan's office.

Megan's roomy office was on the third floor of the hospital, on the opposite side of Sam's room. Most of the hospitals doctors offices were up there. Very few still reamained in the basement. Megan had always been up on this floor, though she said it isolated her from her patients. Well, that was about to change as Sam climbed the numerous stairs that were in the hospital.

By the time he reached Megan's floor, Sam was out of breath and felt like he was going to puke. His head felt like it was an empty vessel. He wasn't sure, but he thought he was sweating. He stood in the long hallway, trying to catch his breath when he realized that it was empty. There were no wondering spirits here. But since he couldn't see any humans, that didn't mean they weren't there. If Sam had been of flesh and blood, there would've been a male nurse that was walking by him with a cart full of meds, a couple of doctors sitting in the lounge talking about starting a game of golf or tennis at the country club, and a couple coming out of Doctor Morgan Ryan's office. (He was the cancer specialist for the area.)

Megan's office was at the end of the hallway, by a large glass window that looked out over Page. It was elegant and made the patients feel like they were at home. It was decorated in dark colors and looked more like a house's living room then, well, where House would be. Elegant paintings hung on the walls and special Chinese flowers set on a table, in a matching vase, in front of a window. Her desk was off to one side, covered in patient files and pictures of friends and family. The single doctor had no pictures of a husband, or even a boyfriend, but she did have pictures of her sister, her niece, and her own child.

Sam slipped into the room. He was unsure if Megan was here or not. He couldn't see her. But he did see a bookcase and exactly what he was looking for. On the top shelf of a red book shelf was the Parker Brothers box that was familiar to Sam, mainly since he had used one just not a few months ago. He reached out his hand to move it when he noticed something; his hand was disappearing.

"Shit." Sam whispered as he brought his hand up to his face. It was disappearing from the palm outward, and with every minute he stood there, a little more flesh disappeared. Sam hurried his steps towards the bookcase.

As a human, this would've been just an easy task for Sam to accomplish, but trying to reach something on the top shelf made him feel more and more like a Smurf. The Ouija board was right there. Sam reached out his disappearing hand to touch it, and when he tried, sparks went from his finger tips to the box, knocking it off. Sam was realived when the box top came off and he could see the board. Instead of a plastic piece, like Sam had used, a crystal one with a pentagram carved into it tumbled to the floor. That's when he realized what was so different about Megan, from what he'd seen. But before he could act from his idea, Scott appeared and raised a hand to Sam's forehead. Blinding light surrounded him as he disappeared from the room.


	16. Reach Out

**Chapter 16-Reach Out**

Megan appeared in the doorway of Sam's room, a cardboard box in hand. Dean had fallen asleep in a chair by Sam's bed. She opened the box and placed it on the floor, setting up the board and exchanging the crystal piece for the standard plastic one. She closed the blinds to the room, which got Dean's attention.

"What are you doin'?" Dean asked as he stood.

"This was on the floor of my office." Megan said. "I didn't even remember I still had it. It was my sister's and I just kept it in there since she died. I thought maybe you'd wanna try it." Dean looked down at the board. One of the hunters that John hung around with had one of these and Dean remembered getting yelled out for messing around with one. He tried to distance himself from the game, but he knew Sam had used one. That's when he got an idea. There was one person he could contact that could help him.

"I'll try it." Dean said. Megan stood there for a minute, an awkward silence coming between them. Dean moved his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for Megan to leave.

"I think I'll be going now." Megan said as she left. Dean smiled and nodded. He waited until she was down the hallway before he shut the door and set down in front of the board. He knew there was Latin that had to be said in order to make the board work properly, so he was just going to go with what John had taught him. He set there for a minute, thinking, before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Phasmatis of tabula." Dean said, which was Latin for "the spirit of the board". Dean looked around the dark room until his eyes locked on Sam's body. He was so distracted that he almost didn't notice the plastic on the board moving.

D-E-A-N

"Dad?" Dean asked.

NO

"I'm trying to contact John Winchester." Dean said, knowing it would piss the spirit off.

W-A-I-T

"Why should I?" Dean asked.

I-M S-A-M

Dean's heart froze. His hands were placed on the plastic and seemed to be ice. Was it really Sam or some spirit that really wanted to make him have a bad day.

"If you're Sam," Dean asked the air. "What's your middle name?"

M-A-T-T-H-E-W

"Correct." Dean said. But that was obvious. Anyone could find out Sam's middle name if they searched hard enough. "What is my all time favorite song?"

T-I-E R-A-M-B-L-E O-N T-R-A-V-E-L-I-N R-I-V-E-R-S-I-D-E B-L-U-E-S

Dean found it hard to believe that he was really talking to Sam, but the facts that were coming off the board were making it more and more hard to deny the facts. He only had a little bit of time and he had to think of a question that only Sam would know.

B-I-L-L B-O-W-E-N D-I-D T-H-I-S

That was all the proof Dean needed.

"Sammy?" Dean asked

YES

"Where are you?"

H-E-R-E

Dean looked up at the bed, at Sam's not moving body. How could he be here? He wasn't here.

"Are you dead?" Dean asked, suddenly sounding like one of the teenage girls in horror movies that is about to be slaughtered by the killer since she's using a board or preforming a ritual.

NO S-P-I-R-I-T

Dean set looking at the board. He didn't feel like asking any questions. He was looking in front of him for Sam, trying hard to see him. Sam was in front of him, his hands placed on the same piece Dean's was. He carefully moved the piece so that it went to every letter he needed.

N-O-T Y-O-U-R F-A-U-L-T

"Sam," Dean started to say, but even as a spirit Sam had to have the last word in.

I-M G-I-V-I-N U-P

Those words hit Dean like a ton of bricks. How could he do that to him, after all they'd been through? They had fought demons, vampires, and angry ghosts side by side for eighteen years, well, almost twenty if you include their recent years. Dean had stood by Sam when the ashes of Jessica had been placed in the ground. He stood by him when his nightmares started happening in the day and they could use them for hunts. He stood by him when Yellow Eyes said that he had plans for him and all the children like him. There was no way in hell that Dean was going to let Sam give up. Not now, not ever.

"No." Dean said. "And you better fuckin' listen to me. There is noway in the bloody bowls of hell that I'm ever going to let you give up. You understand me? Bill's not gonna win. He never will. I love you Sammy. I love you more than I ever did anyone. Cassie will never hold a candle to you Sam. You're everything to me and if...if you give up, I'm driving out to the country and using YOUR gun to blow my fuckin' brains out."

Sam stared at Dean in shock. How could Dean say something like that. He was about to say something when Dean spoke again.

"Why are you giving up on me?" Dean asked.

D-O-N-T F-E-A-R T-H-E R-E-A-P-E-R

Spirit Sam and human Dean's eyes locked and for just the briefest second, Dean could swear he could make out the outline of his brother. But when he reached out to touch where Sam's shoulder would be, the outline disappeared and Dean broke the connection between them. Sam tried to move the piece of the board that would allow him to talk to Dean, but it suddenly became as heavy as lead. Sam stood from the board and turned around to look into the deep blue eyes of his worst enemy at the moment. Scott smiled at Sam.

"I'm taking it that you aren't going to come easily." That's when Sam made a beeline for his bed.


	17. Don't Fear The Reaper

**Chapter 17-Don't Fear The Reaper**

_All our times have come_

_Here, but now they're gone_

Sam swung a punch at Scott, who easily ducked it. Sam kept on making his way towards his bed, but Scott threw him outside the room. He landed at the feet of Rachel Crane, a victim of her own hand. Sam could hear her sing. They were all singing. It was like he was stuck in High School Musical: The Bus Accident. But they were all singing the same thing, like they were under a spell.

_Seasons don't fear the reaper  
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are  
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper  
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper  
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper  
Baby I'm your man..._

Sam got his feet. Scott was stalking him like how Zaroff stalked Rainford in The Most Dangerous Game. He had a creepy smile on his face, one that Sam couldn't remember the reaper they met before having one as creepy.

"I guessed that one, didn't I?" Scott said with a laugh.

"I thought that reapers were supposed to help people." Sam said as he readied himself for the fight that he knew was coming.

"I'm not that kind of reaper." Scott said with a laugh.

_Valentine is done  
Here but now they're gone_

Scott raised his hand out in front of him. A anicent pocketwatch appeared in his hand. He held it by the gold chain and swung it around. Then he lowered it so the solid gold face was in front of Sam's eyes.

"The face on the watch is blank, until we're assigned."

"Like Dead Like Me?" Sam asked.

"I HATE that show." Scott said as he snapped the watch up like a yo-yo. "Reapers are not like that AT ALL!"

"Might wanna tell them that." Sam said as he pointed. Scott looked over to the spirits that had gathered in a group and were all singing the same song. That's when Sam started running back towards his room.

_Romeo and Juliet  
Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet  
40,000 men and women everyday...Like Romeo and Juliet  
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness  
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are  
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper  
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper  
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper  
Baby I'm your man..._

"DEAN!" Sam yelled as he tried to dive into his body. He was stopped in mid-air and thrown back out of the room. He landed in front of a window at the end of the hallway. He looked down at his hand to see it disappearing again.

_Love of two is one  
Here but now they're gone_

Sam looked up to see Scott knelt before him, holding the watch in front of his face. His face was slowly being etched into the watch.

"No." Sam said. "Don't do this."

"Sorry Sam." Scott said. "But I've got no other choice." He raised his hand to Sam's head.

_Came the last night of sadness  
And it was clear she couldn't go on  
Then the door was open and the wind appeared  
The candles blew then disappeared  
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid  
Come on baby...and she had no fear  
And she ran to him...then they started to fly  
They looked backward and said goodby...she had become like they are  
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are_

"NO!" Someone yelled. Sam watched as Tessa tackled Scott to the ground. "RUN SAM! RUN!" Sam pushed himself to his feet and took off running away from Scott and Tessa. Scott knocked Tessa off his back and stood.

"NO!" He yelled. A dark light surrounded him as his youth quickly disappeared. "I will not lose this one." He said with a demonic hiss. He raised his hand to stop Sam, but Tessa knocked him upside the head with a special little weapon that she got from a friend who rides a pale horse. The scyth disappeared as quickly it had appeared. Scott was down for the count. Tessa looked down at Scott's watch to see that Sam's face had almost been completely drawn on the gold.

"Reverto." Tessa said, the Latin form of return. Sam quickly ran up to his body as the world was enveloped in a bright light.

_Come on baby...don't fear the reaper_


	18. In the World of Humans

**Chapter 18-In the World of Humans**

Sam set up with a gasp. Dean stumbled back a little from shock. Sam's eyes were wide, scanning the room for Tessa or Scott. But when he started having trouble breathing, he realized that it wasn't the spirit world. His fingers became a death clutch in the blanket on the bed.

"NURSE!" Dean yelled. "NURSE!" Two nurses came running in. One pushed Dean aside as they went to work on Sam.

"Go get Doctor White." One of them said. They took off running down the hallway.

Megan appeared in the doorway. She looked at Dean then ran to Sam.

After a few minutes, Sam was relaxed. The vent he had been hooked up to had scared him when he was freed from the spirit world. Tessa was gone, Scott was gone, all the spirits were gone. He didn't have to worry about seeing any of them for a long time.

Megan left Sam's room, leaving Sam and Dean alone. Dean was set in a chair by Sam's bed. Sam's hazel eyes scanned him as he struggled to keep them open. He hadn't been in the same room with Dean like this for what seemed like years. There was no way he was going to go to sleep again.

"Dean." Sam said as his eyelids grew heavier.

"Go to sleep Sam." Dean said. "We can talk when you wake up." Sam's eyes slipped closed. But before he drifted off, Sam could hear Dean say the three most amazing words he could ever hear him say. "I love you."


	19. Possession

**Chapter 19-Possession**

Megan was finally off. After dealing with the Winchester's, she had left the main building of the hospital for her Toyota that set in the parking lot. The night was strangely chilly as she walked. She looked up at the dark sky. Stars blinked on and off, like a flickering lightbulb. She remembered nights in the country, lying in the grass with her sister, watching the stars.

She reached her car and placed the key in the lock and was about to unlock it when she noticed the streetlight by her car was flickering. Megan turned, her face set in confusion. The other streetlights were flickering two. So was her cell phone, which she pulled out in order to call public works to get them to come out and look at them. She tossed it back into her purse and walked away from her car, leaving the key in the lock. She stepped a few feet then looked up at the sky. She noticed something strange. The black blanket with flickering stars had a dark purple smoke moving across it. Then it came towards her. Megan, though in heels, took off running down the street.

"Help!" Megan yelled, but there seemed to be nobody on the street. She tripped, landing hard on the cement. She turned over onto her back and looked up at the sky as the smoke came down at her. She screamed as it forced itself down her throat and into her lungs. She clutched at the strap of her purse. Finally, the smoke had all disappeared and Megan set there for a minute. She stood, leaving her purse on the ground. She looked around, her eyes pure black.

"BILL BOWEN!!" She yelled, a hiss in her voice. Then, she disappeared, leaving her purse on the ground and the key in the lock of her car. The lights stopped flickering and no one knew anything else.


	20. Hey Sam Repraise

**Chapter 20-Hey Sam (Repraise)**

Sam and Dean had moved into Gabby's house for awhile. It was getting a little too pricey for them to keep renting motel rooms and sooner or later, the credit cards would run out and they needed to save what money they had. Sam slept like a baby in the pillow-top bed that Gabby had provided each of the boys. Though Dean had put up a fit of staying in a different room then Sam, he was sometimes grateful, because Sam could be a restless sleeper at times, even though he was in pain. He was still at Sam's side at the drop of a hat.

While Sam was asleep one day, Bobby, Gabby, and Dean set down in Gabby's living room to watch a NASCAR race while drinking beer. (Dean wasn't a big fan of NASCAR, but the only other sport that Gabby's TV could pick up was tennis.) Dean was sitting there, drinking his beer, when a question that had been bugging him popped back into his head.

"How did you know where to find us?" Dean asked. Bobby looked over at Gabby, who set down her beer on the coffee table.

"'Bout a week ago, when I first called Bobby out here, I had a vision of two young men dyin' in a barn out in the desert." She said. "So I had Bobby call his friends who could help us. I didn't realize that it was you boys. I hadn't seen ya since ya was no bigger than a grasshopper."

"Wait." Dean said. "Your a psychic?"

"Been one since the day I was born boy." Gabby said.

"Was that story of the spirits in your house real?" Dean asked.

"Yes sir-ee. But don't count Bobby too short. He got rid of that spirit the night he came. But he had to think of someway to get ya to come otta here. I just wishes I would've known that it was ya boys that mad man was gonna go after." Dean set there in silence.

"You couldn't have known." Dean said. "It wasn't your fault. I mean, the last time you probably saw us was when Dad and Bobby first started working together." There was another silence. Finally, Dean stood from his seat in the comfey chair. "I'm gonna go check on Sam."

Dean climbed the stairs towards his and Sam's rooms. He pushed open the unlatched door to Sam's and looked in to see his brother attempting to stand. Dean rushed in as Sam's leg gave out from under him and he crashed to the floor.

"Why didn't you yell for me?" Dean asked as he helped Sam sit on the bed. Sam looked into Dean's eyes. "You've only been out of the hospital for a couple days. You're not strong enough to do all these things on your own." Dean locked Sam's gaze and felt his heart skip a couple beats.

"When we were in the hospital," Sam began. "I heard you tell me...tell me you love me." Sam said. Dean looked away from Sam. He walked to the other side of the room and looked out the window. "Did you mean it?"

"Sam." Dean said. He rested his head against the glass as he started humming "Hey Jude", but it started to come out as "Hey Sam" again. He couldn't believe it, but everytime he tried to sing that song, it came out that way. Sam pushed himself off the bed and made it halfway to Dean before he fell again. Dean turned around just as Sam fell. He pulled him up by his shirt and looked into his eyes. "I will always mean it." That's when he leaned in and placed his lips on Sam's. Sam didn't fight. He just closed his eyes and felt his heart warm. Dean, who was closest to the door, kicked it shut, not once breaking their lip lock.

**THE END**


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